Two weeks of concert cancellations ended last night in Washington, D.C., when Janet Jackson returned to the stage at the Verizon Center to resume her tour, which was sidelined by a mystery illness that's now been identified as vertigo. According to The Associated Press, Jackson, sporting a Mohawk, charged the stage amid fireworks and clouds of smoke, playing a bevy of her earliest hits, like "Pleasure Principle" and "What Have You Done for Me Lately."
"It feels so good to be back after being down just a little bit," Jackson told the crowd, during what ended up being a two-hour set. The AP reports that the pop singer did look winded at times, and at one point, paused to admire her backup dancers.
At the conclusion of her set, Jackson, with tears in her eyes, told the crowd, "I love you, D.C., so much." Her manager said the singer is feeling well enough to continue her first North American run in seven years. She has shows scheduled in the coming weeks in Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, New York and East Rutherford, New Jersey.